


Richard is Better

by booktick



Category: The Lion in Winter (1968)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-26
Updated: 2013-09-26
Packaged: 2017-12-27 17:43:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/981788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booktick/pseuds/booktick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard is always better than Geoff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Richard is Better

Disclaimer: I own none of this franchise.

* * *

Geoff took great pride in his observations. He’s not stupid. He knows no one cares for Geoff. He got the short end of the stick. John’s Henry’s and Richard’s Eleanor’s. That’s how it goes. Once, maybe long ago, Eleanor had kissed his head and told him what a good son he was, how she loved her boys. Perhaps Henry pinched his cheek and told him to run off because father’s playing war with Thomas Becket.

But years come and go, just like people.

Richard wins a battle, slaughters young men with a grand sword and he gets a kiss to the forehead. Geoff helps write out a treaty,  an entire book dedicated to Henry himself and he gets a slap to the cheek. Both cheeks sometimes. If Eleanor cares enough.

"I could help, Mummy. I can read it. I know how to. All Richard does is play war-"

But Eleanor always waved him off, hand a lady take his hand and have him leave. Or Eleanor was upset with Henry again, did not even notice his presence. That’s how things are in their household. It’s not too surprising. The castles are all the same and there’s no real warmth, even with the fireplaces.

No one gives a damn if, as any child might, Geoff thinks that father running off with Thomas Becket is ridiculous. Geoff wins an agreement for a treaty between two feuding towns, not even a slap on the back, well done Geoff. But God forbid if Richard stubs his toes.

He loves Richard. Though if asked, he’d smile prettily and say not a word, not a peep. But he loves Richard enough that he aches. He loves Richard as he loved Henry, Henry the Younger…Henry the Boy who never grew up. What a sad story but Geoff assumed they were all sad stories, all of them, even John. Especially John.

Henry II and Eleanor are in that pile of mess too. He supposed they were the ones who created the mess. Henry, and his armor flashing bright, off to France only to go from Count to King and King to Henry and Thomas Becket and now just Thomas. Eleanor was always Eleanor.

That never changed.

And Richard is still better than Geoffry.

_"Strike a flint and let’s see."_

And God, does he love Richard. His brother did know how to strike a man down, twice as fast and twice as hard as Henry ever could. But that’s how things are, as he thought thousands of times before. He does enjoy watching a good battle even if he doesn’t use a sword during it, he will watch Richard fight and he will be there with a cloth afterwards to wipe the sweat and blood from his brother’s forehead and give his brother good words of comfort.

Richard is his older brother, he loved Richard just as much as he had Henry the Young. But Richard loves the sword and the battles, he’s not sure if Richard loved much of anything save for Phillip and his precious place on receiving the crown from King Henry II. Yet Geoffry still finds time to love Richard anyway, even if his brother will never say it back.

Geoff spent most of his time after his brother Henry was gone, at the heels of Richard. He took a hidden pride in showing Richard his plans, his thoughts and ideas. To be able to ride a horse next to his mother and his brother and feel like he was apart of something. To feel like he mattered. But like most rebellions against the King, most things end with someone being locked away. Eleanor was their one to be given up, to be locked away in some castle and off went Henry’s boys.

John with Henry. Richard with Sword. And Geoff with himself.

That’s how most things happen, that’s how they end. Everyone has something and Geoffrey has himself. He’s gotten used to being excluded, even when he makes the jokes and the smiles to show he’s not ruled by the heart like Henry the Young and spoiled like John. To show that he’s just fine with being treated fourth best, maybe even lower.

_"You’re the expert. You should know."_

That’s what Eleanor is. If he can’t have Richard anymore, he’ll take her. But Eleanor is brushing him off again, Mother tells him something snide and goes off to worship her precious Richard. He’s alright with that, Geoffrey’s a good son and will nod his head and smile. He’s a good son to Eleanor. He’s a loyal son to the one who’s on top, whether it’s Henry or Eleanor or Phillip of France. He’s loyal until someone higher comes and plays around with their family again.

_"No one ever thinks of crown and mentions Geoff, why is that?"_

But Phillip says nothing. _  
_

After Phillip, he wants Henry. But Henry won’t have him. Henry won’t even make a comment to him. Henry won’t even shout or slap him, Henry wants nothing to do with Geoffrey, with any of his boys, his loyal boys. His daring boys. And again, Geoffry is alone. But not for long, he turns back to Richard. Richard is there with open arms and he tells his brothers, his Richard and his John, that he will be there. All of them can take Henry after being locked away…locked away and lost.

But Eleanor is the one who put the knives in their hands. Wasn’t that how it was? It’s not long ‘till Henry’s joined the event. Henry gives up, Eleanor too. They don’t look at their boys. They’re allowed to go, to flee, to leave. To be like before, that’s how things are. Eleanor will go back to her castle, Henry to his castle and Richard to his war. And Geoffry? Geoffry will be alone.

Eleanor will write to Richard surely though. Richard is always the favorite, even to Henry. Richard is better. And no matter how many schemes, how many times he can use John’s naivety about Henry against him or how many treaties Geoffry can write…it does not matter.

Eleanor loves Richard.

Henry loves Richard.

And no one will look twice at Geoffry ever again.


End file.
